My Place in the New World Order
Sometime in the last year or so it hit me that I should no longer define myself as a touring songwriter. Don’t get me wrong…that part hasn’t changed. In fact, it drives the whole Ellis Paul enterprise thingy. However. If you broke down my life by what I spend the most time doing, you’d first call me a driver. Then a performer. Then you’d call me a media user. Then a manager/booking agent. A writer. A songwriter. An artist.
Driving: 20-30 hours/week (to shows)
Media: 6 hours/week (facebooking, teaching, Patreon, making videos, engaging the net)
Writing: (like this piece) mostly about 1 hour a week
Performing: 18 hours/week
Manager/booking agent: - 5 hours/week
Songwriting: 3 hours/week in an active week
Art: 1/2 hour a week
Somewhere in there, I’m trying see my kids, be a partner to someone and breathe.
See the imbalance? I’m actually running a driving service for myself! If I had a reality TV person come and look at my business, to tell me how to make things better— this is what they would tell me. You need time when you are home to do creative work that you’re best at. That drives your happiness, sense of self, and your business. You need to bring in a team, a driver, a road manager, and you need to do more media and art and writing and songwriting. The creative work.
So I am doing it! It’s a new decade, and I’m re-inventing how I do things.
PATREON
Step One.
Firstly, I created a site on Patreon called Ellis Paul’s Ellis Island. What’s cool about this, for me, is that it’s a chance to share with people the past, the present, and the future of my creative life. I will celebrate the past by putting up old photos, press clips, single songs and shows from the 1990s and 2000s! I will do live streaming shows on the site from my home where I perform albums like STORIES (Feb 16th is the next show!) in their entirety, which I can’t do on the road because I’m playing newer material. In the present, I share demos and lyrics, podcasts of my interests, writing and art that I am working on in the now— a steady stream of my tours, new songs, videos, art, and essays. In the future, subscribers will have first access to everything I create, discounts on merchandise, and, at the higher levels house concerts, original art, songs written for you. Your help can make this happen!
I am hoping that by creating this place, I can be home for a stretch of ten days straight every month to do the creative work and media work that will fuel the rest of my life, make my art better, and make my time better spent!
The whole thing is pretty awesome and the tier levels bring more than you can imagine! Check it out here!
https://www.patreon.com/ellispaul
Wow. The thing I rely on the most, the things that I LOVE to do the most, I do nearly the least. Creating Patreon will allow for more time home and decrease the hours spent driving by eliminating one week’s worth of driving! That’s 20-30 extra hours per month, 240-360 hours per year. Nice!
Next I need to buy a self-driving car…..so I can work while being driven around!
Ok. It was an eye opener. Step one has started.
BUILD A TEAM
Step Two.
I’m currently in talks with a few really great management teams, who will guide the work I do out in the world more effectively, more profoundly, and more successfully. I already built a great and beautiful thing, that’s why they are showing interest, but a TEAM around me will make it even better and save time and energy.
I will be announcing the new management company soon! Wish me luck!
MEDIA MENTORING/TEACHING/NESR/TRUEFIRE
Step Three.
Next in line has been mentoring, teaching and building courses at TrueFire.com. I have created a community of songwriters who attend my retreats, take my courses, and work with me one on one to improve their creative lives. It’s taken three years to build, but this part of my media company shines the brightest. If you’d like me to guide your creative work at any level where you are, check out the options at these places:
The Gathering: https://www.newenglandsongwritersretreat.com/
The Channel: https://ellispaul.com/product/songfactory/
One on one live mentoring via Skype: (I only accept ten individual students)
Ellispaul7@gmail.com
ENGAGING YOU
Step Four.
You have been my lifeline. Music has kept me afloat, emotionally, financially, spiritually.
I’d like to see more engagement with you at shows, online, at house concerts. If you’d like to bring me in to your place for a Private Show to celebrate something or to just gather friends. Contact me about dates, we still have open dates in March and April!
Ellispaul7@gmail.com
Driving: 20-30 hours/week (to shows)
Media: 6 hours/week (facebooking, teaching, Patreon, making videos, engaging the net)
Writing: (like this piece) mostly about 1 hour a week
Performing: 18 hours/week
Manager/booking agent: - 5 hours/week
Songwriting: 3 hours/week in an active week
Art: 1/2 hour a week
Somewhere in there, I’m trying see my kids, be a partner to someone and breathe.
See the imbalance? I’m actually running a driving service for myself! If I had a reality TV person come and look at my business, to tell me how to make things better— this is what they would tell me. You need time when you are home to do creative work that you’re best at. That drives your happiness, sense of self, and your business. You need to bring in a team, a driver, a road manager, and you need to do more media and art and writing and songwriting. The creative work.
So I am doing it! It’s a new decade, and I’m re-inventing how I do things.
PATREON
Step One.
Firstly, I created a site on Patreon called Ellis Paul’s Ellis Island. What’s cool about this, for me, is that it’s a chance to share with people the past, the present, and the future of my creative life. I will celebrate the past by putting up old photos, press clips, single songs and shows from the 1990s and 2000s! I will do live streaming shows on the site from my home where I perform albums like STORIES (Feb 16th is the next show!) in their entirety, which I can’t do on the road because I’m playing newer material. In the present, I share demos and lyrics, podcasts of my interests, writing and art that I am working on in the now— a steady stream of my tours, new songs, videos, art, and essays. In the future, subscribers will have first access to everything I create, discounts on merchandise, and, at the higher levels house concerts, original art, songs written for you. Your help can make this happen!
I am hoping that by creating this place, I can be home for a stretch of ten days straight every month to do the creative work and media work that will fuel the rest of my life, make my art better, and make my time better spent!
The whole thing is pretty awesome and the tier levels bring more than you can imagine! Check it out here!
https://www.patreon.com/ellispaul
Wow. The thing I rely on the most, the things that I LOVE to do the most, I do nearly the least. Creating Patreon will allow for more time home and decrease the hours spent driving by eliminating one week’s worth of driving! That’s 20-30 extra hours per month, 240-360 hours per year. Nice!
Next I need to buy a self-driving car…..so I can work while being driven around!
Ok. It was an eye opener. Step one has started.
BUILD A TEAM
Step Two.
I’m currently in talks with a few really great management teams, who will guide the work I do out in the world more effectively, more profoundly, and more successfully. I already built a great and beautiful thing, that’s why they are showing interest, but a TEAM around me will make it even better and save time and energy.
I will be announcing the new management company soon! Wish me luck!
MEDIA MENTORING/TEACHING/NESR/TRUEFIRE
Step Three.
Next in line has been mentoring, teaching and building courses at TrueFire.com. I have created a community of songwriters who attend my retreats, take my courses, and work with me one on one to improve their creative lives. It’s taken three years to build, but this part of my media company shines the brightest. If you’d like me to guide your creative work at any level where you are, check out the options at these places:
The Gathering: https://www.newenglandsongwritersretreat.com/
The Channel: https://ellispaul.com/product/songfactory/
One on one live mentoring via Skype: (I only accept ten individual students)
Ellispaul7@gmail.com
ENGAGING YOU
Step Four.
You have been my lifeline. Music has kept me afloat, emotionally, financially, spiritually.
I’d like to see more engagement with you at shows, online, at house concerts. If you’d like to bring me in to your place for a Private Show to celebrate something or to just gather friends. Contact me about dates, we still have open dates in March and April!
Ellispaul7@gmail.com
I’m also hosting vacation trips to bucket list destinations! Come join me for a week in a gorgeous setting this summer!
Monhegan Island, Maine:
http://www.rootsontherails.com/m/upcoming-trips-2020-monhegan-island-me
The Salmon River in Idaho:
https://www.idahorivers.com/music-adventures-salmon-river
Thanks for the love and support! I am all over the country in the upcoming months!
Please check out dates here: https://ellispaul.com/calendar
The Salmon River in Idaho:
https://www.idahorivers.com/music-adventures-salmon-river
Thanks for the love and support! I am all over the country in the upcoming months!
Please check out dates here: https://ellispaul.com/calendar
Say hello at a show!
Best—
Ellis